Jumping
by Shalo
Summary: Johnny Rice is an ordinary kid and he never dreamt that he would someday discover that his father David Rice was one of the few Jumpers in the world. But he will soon find out that there is much more than enjoying the benefits of going anywhere, anytime.
1. Chapter 1

**JUMPING**

My name is John Rice, I live in Washington D.C and when I was sixteen I became part of the most amazing thing I could possibly imagine. I mean, this secret I discovered, it changed my life forever.

I lived in a huge house back then, my parents had a lot of money; I didn't really know what it was they did for a living but whenever I asked them all I could understand was the word banking. They would travel all over the world for weeks at a time, not that they didn't spend time with me; I mean they really loved me, but sometimes I wondered if their job was really behind these longs absences.

Anyway, it happened during the summer holydays one night when I was coming home from a friend's house, I was parking my brand new car on the front yard – my father had bought me my first car for my birthday two days before – and I thought I heard loud voices and a crash coming from an upstairs window. The light was on. I ran to the front door, thrust the keys into the lock at top speed and flew up the stairs. I had just reached the second floor landing when I heard soft moans of pain and an anxious voice talking very fast, I stopped dead, rooted to the spot as fear gripped me, I couldn't quite hear what she was saying – I could tell it was my mom – heart pounding I crept as quietly and swiftly as I could towards the room at the end of the hallway, my parent's room.

"Come on baby its okay, just stay awake Davy, its gonna be ok…"

I felt like I had been hit in the face with a cricket bat, my dad, hurt? What was going on?

"Mom!" I yelled as I started forwards into the room.

I heard a whooshing sound like a soft breeze followed by a crash as I came in and when I stepped into the threshold the room was empty although several pieces of paper where whirling in the air and the curtains were settling back into their normal position as if a wind had just stirred them.

What had just happened? I could have sworn I had heard my mother's voice a second before, I had even heard her words, there was no way I could have imagined it. I swept the room in one look. The little spindly glass table that usually stood next to the door was shattered in the floor and the chairs around where lying on their sides all over the room, a porcelain vase lay cracked on its side near me, and as I turned my head I noticed something stirring in the air. I looked and I thought I could see some sort of ripples there shifting the air in front of me; what was more for a second I imagined I could even feel the ripples, like I could sense them in front of me or something.

Right behind me was the light switch, I flicked it on and looked back at the phenomenon, but even as my eyes adjusted to the dazzling light the things wavered into nothing but unmovable, texture-less air.

I remember that night as if it had been yesterday. I stayed up most of the night, curled up in an armchair staring at the front door, wondering whether my mother would walk in through it any moment and hold me and apologize for leaving when I clearly sounded frightened as I shouted her name – as unlikely as it may sound to me – or whether I had just imagined the whole thing and I would wake up the next day feeling exceptionally foolish. Either way I still couldn't explain the ripples floating there like a scar in the air; I had felt them even when I wasn't looking at them. I sat there for hours musing over the strange affair until my head tilted forward against my chest and I remembered no more.

I was shaken awake the following morning by the house-maid, she looked shocked to see me there – well I guess it's not very normal to spend the night on an armchair in the middle of the entrance hall – and started to ask me what was I thinking sleeping down here in the cold hall. It was really only slightly colder than my own bedroom really, the expensive heating system worked throughout the night.

" You're going to get ill and I'm responsible for you while your parents are away," she blabbered while opening the curtains so that the early golden sunlight flooded the place, then turning around she asked, " and why are you even here?"

"I thought I heard noises outside," I said without looking at her. I stood up and stretched, yawning, and then added tentatively, "Did my mother call?"

"Yes she did as a matter of fact," she said moving around the living room opening more curtains, " she says she will be here before midday, but your father won't be back for a few days yet."

I looked up at her, my eyes widening in fear of what I might hear from my next question…

"Did… did she say… why? I asked slowly.

"Well… no but you know Mr. David has returned after your mother many times before" she said over her shoulder as she bustled up the stairs to the upper floors.

"And please put that chair back in the living room for me will you?" she called from upstairs.

Well I couldn't help being slightly irritated at my mother for not leaving any more information especially since concealing dad's whereabouts meant that she probably wouldn't admit she had been home last night. But at least I knew that whatever had happened, dad wasn't that bad. Mom would have let me know if he was anywhere near death. With this "cheerful" thought I walked to the kitchen and started making myself breakfast.

At half-past twelve I was getting anxious again waiting for mom to turn up. I couldn't stand being inside the house so I got inside my car and turned the radio on, not really listening to the music but enjoying the noise around me. My car was an old Toyota pickup which dad had bought from a used cars dealer-shop. Sometimes I wondered why my parents rarely bought me expensive things since we had so much money but I think they just didn't want me to be this spoiled little brat, after all my father had been almost poor before he ran away from home when he was seventeen and mom hadn't exactly been rich either. Again like so many times before I found myself wondering how my parents had become so rich. Neither of them had inherited any money as far as I knew and they hadn't won the lottery or anything like that. No. The reason I was so curious about their income is that they never told me what their job was. _Maybe they're bank robbers_. I actually laughed out loud at this thought, like they could be criminals.

It was at the point that I saw a cab stopping behind me through the rear-view mirror.

"Mom," I half yelled as I got out of the car and walked toward her.

"Johnny honey," she said smiling and we hugged.

I looked at her with my eyes narrowed; she was acting as if everything was normal.

"What happened to dad?" I asked, my voice a bit accusatory. Her mouth twitched slightly but other than that her face only looked confused, even somewhat amused.

"What are you talking about Johnny, dad's fine…"

"I heard you in your room yesterday," said I staring at her eyes waiting for the slightest hint of guilt inside them. "I know it was you, I heard you talking and then there was a crash and you were gone!" " The table inside broke and the vase too!"

At these "news" she did look surprised, her eyes widened an her mouth opened. Finally she was going to tell the truth.

"Do you mean someone was inside our home?" she said shocked in the face. Dammit she wouldn't give in.

"Oh come on mom I know it was you!" I said getting frustrated and angry now.

She just wouldn't hear it. She called the cops and told someone had broke into our house and was busy making calls for the rest of the day. But it didn't matter, I knew what I'd heard and seen. Damn I'd even heard her say dad's name! I didn't know when or how but I was sure I'd find out what had really happened last night.

The next few days after that I didn't spend much time thinking about the whole "vanishing" thing but I still had it in the corner of my mind ready to bring it forth if I anything happened. Instead I hung out with my two best friends Tom and Maddy. Tom and I had been good friends since kindergarten and Maddy had entered our lives in the sixth grade, since then we were hardly ever apart, the thing is, I had started feeling like Maddy should be more than just a friend. I mean she was really beautiful and I could spend days together with her and still want to be around her. With the "vanishing" thing I had kind of forgotten about her for a while but now it had come back.

I remember sitting with her at Tom's house while he was in the bathroom, she was lying on the couch with her eyes closed – it was really late – and I couldn't help staring at her, her chest raising and falling slowly as she breathed; a lock of her auburn hair across her perfect face. The sound of the toilet flushing came from the bathroom and her eyes jerked open, her eyes meeting mine as I looked at her. I looked away quickly blushing; I hoped she hadn't thought I was looking at her the whole time.

Tom came into the room walking noisily and stared at us.

"What's up with you Maddy?" he said looking over at her. I turned and saw her staring at me with a look of confusion on her face, then she looked away and her cheeks reddened slightly too.

"Oh… nothing," she said looking at Tom, "I guess I'm tired".

"I'll take you home," I said quickly, and then added uncomfortably, "if you want to…"

Tom stared between us, an eyebrow rising.

"Okay," she said simply.

Maddy was waiting outside while I put on my jacket and Tom came over to me clearly planning to say something.

"You know she fancies you," he said softly so that she wouldn't hear him form outside.

I looked at him with my brow furrowed. This was really news to me, as far as I knew I was nothing more than a friend to her, thought even as he said it I could feel my stomach contracting with anxiety.

"What are you talking about," I whispered also careful not to let Maddy hear me.

"Oh please, for the past week you've done nothing but ogle at her whenever she can't see you," he whispered back with a wide grin spreading on his face. "And I think she's noticed and has started to do some staring too."

I didn't move.

"Oh man if you two get together I'll need to find some new friends… I won't be able to stand it," he said still smiling.

"Johnny?" came Maddy's voice from outside.

"I… I better go…" I stammered still thinking about what Tom had just said.

"Yeah you should; see you tomorrow."

I walked out the door and Tom closed it behind me. There leaning against my car was Maddy. God she was beautiful.

I was driving down her street when I noticed she had been looking at me the past few blocks. She was wearing a sort of challenging stare, as if bracing herself to say something. I pulled up at her house and looked at her. She didn't move.

"Are you ever going to say anything?" she said, her voice soft. I felt like I couldn't breathe properly, I had never been in this kind of situation before and found it extremely uncomfortable but I also didn't want her to go.

"I…"

She was looking at me very seriously; I even thought she was mad at something or me. I looked into her beautiful amber ayes and steeled myself.

"I… I really like you Maddy," I couldn't believe I had just said that out loud. The words sounded stupid and they lingered there for a moment while I waited for her to speak.

"I like you too," she whispered finally and I felt my stomach loosening.

She had just said she liked me. Me!

I stared at her for one more second and leaned across the seat, my face closer to hers than I could remember it having been. I could see her lips trembling slightly from here and I smelled her perfume closing my eyes. I felt her lips against mine and we kissed for the first time.

After a few seconds we broke apart and stared at each other. I could feel my face burning and see hers blushing too.

"I guess I should… go inside now," she whispered, her voice a little shaky. I could only manage a soft "uhu" and a nod.

"I'll call you tomorrow."

She got off the car and walked up to the front door of her house, opened the door and looked back at me for one second before going in and closing the door behind her. I stayed where I was sitting in the car for ten minutes or something feeling my lips with my fingers, then I turned on the car and drove away to my house. As I drove I started to feel like I could laugh and shout and jump up and down, god I had wanted to do that for so long! And it felt exactly like I had imagined… I wondered how it would be when we saw each other the next day.

I reached my house and just as I got off the car I felt it again. The ripples in the air; just behind me. I turned and saw them there shifting in the air, I stretched my hand in front of me as if to touch them and suddenly I was standing in my parent's bedroom. I lost my balance and fell on the floor face down. In front of me I could see a pair of shoes and I heard my dad's startled voice speak…

"Johnny!... you can jump!"


	2. Chapter 2

My eyes were still adjusting to the sudden brightness as my dad pulled me up

My eyes were still adjusting to the sudden brightness as my dad pulled me up. I looked at his face and saw that he was beaming at me. What had just happened?

"Johnny you didn't tell us you could do it…" Came my mom's voice from behind me, I twisted around and saw her smiling also, although slightly worried-looking.

"I could do what?' I croaked still a little dazed. My parent's looked at each other and then my dad said…

"Johnny you just jumped straight through my scar"

"Scar?"

"The opening that is left behind when you jump"

I couldn't make sense of what he said. I mean what did he imply by _jump._

"I don't know…" I was at a lost for words. Understanding dawned on my dad's features and he slowly steered me to the edge of his bed with a hand on my shoulder. He motioned for me to sit down and then he sat beside me, my mother on my other side.

"What's going on?" I asked nervously. This situation was extremely familiar, but I didn't quite think they were about to give me a talk about sex…

Dad looked at me seriously and then started to speak, choosing his words carefully.

"What did you see before you were inside this room Johnny?" he asked. I could suddenly remember the ripples in the air again; I felt them just in front of me.

"I… I saw these… ripples in the air," I said fearing that my parents would think I was crazy.

"And what happened then?" mom said looking at me also.

"I don't know I guess I just reached for them and… then I was here," I finished lamely.

"I'm guessing this is the first time you've done this."

"Done what?" I shouted abruptly, startling both of them, "What did I do exactly?"

My father was grinning now.

"You've jumped for the first time," he said simply, then seeing my puzzled look and my lungs expanding to shout again he added, " you teleported."

The air in my lungs left me as if I'd been caught in the stomach by a rampaging rhinoceros. Jesus Christ it did make sense! I mean I had been standing in the front yard and in the blink of an eye I had materialized up here. Of course I couldn't explain it and actually having fainted and woken up inside my parents bedroom would have had more sense to anyone else but not me. I could see my mom and dad looking at me, waiting for me to explode with laughter or anger but I think I took them by surprise.

"This is…so amazing!" I said beaming at the pair of them. They smiled right back and my mother hugged me. I guess there are some people that would have thought they were dreaming or that maybe they were in a coma on a hospital bed and this was just part of their imagination but I'm different. I had wanted something like this to happen all my life and all of a sudden it was true!

"Can you two jump too? I asked looking from one to the other trying to contain my jubilation.

"Davy can," Mom answered, "but I can't"

"Why not?" I asked my smile faltering.

"Well it's just that way," she said but she didn't look disappointed or anything. "It doesn't matter if I can't do it. Your father is enough for the both of us." After saying this she leaned across me and they kissed.

"Wow, wow," I said getting up – pushing them apart in the process - and staring at the pair. "What exactly can I do with this…power?" I asked.

Dad took his eyes from mom's and turned to me.

"Well you can go anywhere in the world in the blink of an eye… anywhere is possible." He said.

I could hardly stop myself from jumping up and down the room; I actually felt like crying – I tend to get like that-. But before I could ask more questions Dad started talking again.

"But listen Johnny," he seemed more serious now, his voice more businesslike, " there is a lot more you should know about."

"There are those out there who hate us for what we can do, so if we want to survive we have to use this gift with responsibility, being careful that no one sees you appearing out of thin air."

"And who are these people?" I asked a little frightened, I did not expect this.

"They are called Paladins, they are a secret society that has existed for centuries and their mission is to rid the world of any jumpers."

I found this news quite unsettling, here I was thinking that my life would know no boundaries and already something had happened so that the thought burst into a million pieces. Still, to be persecuted for being able to jump through space sounded better to me than being normal anyway.

"I'm very tired right now but tomorrow we'll talk more about it," dad said stretching.

"Wait, I have one more question," I said. "What happened to you the other day?"

For a second they looked at each other and I thought they wouldn't answer but then mom said…

"Davy was fighting a Paladin and he got hurt."

"What?" I gasped. It was one thing to know my father could teleport but I hadn't imagined him fighting these Paladins.

"You..."

"We'll talk about it tomorrow Johnny," dad said with a sigh.

The next day I woke up at the break of dawn, I hadn't been able to sleep very well because I was so excited. I got out of bed and went downstairs to see if dad was already awake but the kitchen was still dark and silent. I cooked some bacon with toast but only managed to eat half of it because it felt like leather in my mouth, my stomach hurt because of the anticipation and I decided I couldn't wait for him to wake up. "I can do this," I thought. I closed my eyes tight and tried to imagine my bedroom and think of nothing else. It was hard, images of Maddy and ripples in the air burst into my mind and I couldn't concentrate, I began the process of concentrating again when the smell of smoke reached my nostrils.

"Damn!" I hissed locating the source of the smoke, I had left the fire in the stove on and the fragile wooden pane of the window above it was ablaze – I always knew that stupid thing would catch on fire – It broke apart and fell on the stove, I picked it up by the end and started turning on the spot, not knowing where to go. The sink was too small and the fire had almost reached my hand. _Water._

I appeared two feet above the water and fell with a tremendous splash on the pool; the bit of wood left went out with a hiss of steam and lay floating beside me, blackened and wasted. My clothes were floating around me pulling me down; I swam to the edge where I could reach the bottom and stayed there amazed at what I had just done. I closed my eyes and concentrated on my bedroom again, picturing the untidy bed and poster-covered wall. This time I knew it had worked, I felt the jump and when I opened my eyes I was standing beside my bed, soaking wet with a little pool already forming around my ankles.

"Johnny!"

Y flinched at the sound; my mother has that effect on me when she's angry. I looked at her standing by the door, deciding what would be the best way to explain but before I could do anything her furious demeanor broke and she smiled widely.

"You just jumped didn't you?" she said hugging me. I was perplexed and only returned her smile after a few seconds; I guess she really had wanted me to be a jumper just like dad, I mean she would have flayed me if I hade done this before today.

"I think I can do it without difficulty now," I said concentrating on the bed behind me and appearing there instantly, making her beam with pleasure.

"You know I remember the first time Davy did that in front of me," she said reminiscing, "I was already mad at him and, well, its hard to accept that someone can do that. You're very lucky you know, Davy didn't have anyone to explain things… but he managed all right in the end."

During that day my parents told me all about being a Jumper, they explained how you can only jump to places you've already been in before and remember accurately. Dad explained how things that are moving are much easier to _jump_ than things that are still and how trying to jump something that's much too large can kill you.

"Did you ever try to move something really big?" I asked wondering what happened if it didn't kill you.

"Yes and I ended up exhausted, I could feel every muscle in my body burning," he said with a grimace as if voicing the memory brought the pain back with it.

He told me all about the Paladins and the kind of weapons they use to kill Jumpers, apparently they tried to catch you with special guns that shot wires with electric currents. Dad described the way the cables coiled around you and the electricity messed with your concentration so that you couldn't jump; but he also said that if you tried hard enough there was a chance you might _jump_ them with you. And that, he said, was what he had done the day I heard him. He confessed to me that whenever he could he would hunt down a Paladin because he felt it was his responsibility to try and shorten the odds of the Paladins catching and murdering other less-experienced jumpers.

"Have you met any other jumpers?" I asked my eyes wide with interest.

"I have met a few over the years but whenever I do I deliberately start avoiding them," he said, and then he added in response to my confused expression, "the more jumpers in one place the more chance the paladins have to catch you."

I spent the rest of that day jumping around the house; luckily, Rose – the housemaid – wasn't there cause they wouldn't have let me if she were. I managed to jump wherever I wanted to most times although I did screw up a few times, the worst of them sending me to the pool again. I was amazed at how cool I was about it all, it felt as if I had always known about it, that I just hadn't bothered with it before.

At midnight when my parents went to bed I stayed downstairs, jumping whenever I needed to go to the bathroom or when the TV controller wasn't at arms length. I didn't feel like sleeping, I guess I thought that jumping around the house wasn't enough for such a glorious day, I wanted to really take advantage of this amazing secret; just for that first day I wanted to be reckless.

I closed my eyes and pictured the street in front of Maddy's house, the precise spot where I had parked the car the night before. I remembered the lonely light post above the car and the trees planted in the sidewalk, the hard road as I stopped the car.

I felt a soft breeze caressing my face and I breathed in the fresh air, when I opened my eyes I already knew that in front of me would be Maddy's house with the lights on, on the porch. I walked serenely to the door and rang the doorbell. I saw a light turn on through the misted door window and then someone fumbling with keys. The door opened and there stood Maddy.

"Johnny!" she said staring at me with a frown, "what are you doing here at this time, and why didn't you call me on my cell phone instead of waking up everybody in the house?"

I had forgotten in my urgency to do something wild that it was now half past midnight.

"I'm sorry," I said smiling at her and taking in her beauty, "I wanted to see you."

"Oh…" her face reddened and she put on a small grin herself, "you could have called but… I'm happy you're here."

I stepped inside and kissed her for the second time, this time there was none of the awkwardness of the last time, I ran my hands through her hair and hers were on my back. When we broke apart we both were blushing furiously but I was certainly not embarrassed, just happy.

"Let's go somewhere," I said suddenly.

"Like where?" she said, her hands still around me.

"Just… for a walk or something."

"Okay… let me tell my parents."

She let go of me and ran up the stairs. I remained standing where I was feeling elated, the day before I had been a normal – and happy – person, but today I felt like I was the luckiest guy in the world. I heard her coming back down the stairs and in a second she was beside me again.

"Let's go," she said beaming.

"What did you tell them," I asked as we walked down the gravel path to the street.

"That I was going out with Tom and you… I don't think they want to be troubled with news about me and you at these hours," she said; when we reached the street I saw her eyes searching for my car.

"I walked here," I said looking at her. She stared at me as if I was mad.

"Its like ten blocks from here to your house, why didn't you use your car?" she said waving her hand in the air.

"Dunno… I wanted fresh air I guess," I said lamely hoping she wouldn't press the matter. She looked at me suspiciously for a moment but then grasped my hand in hers and we were walking down the road. We walked in silence for a couple of minutes, just enjoying each other's presence and then started to talk about Tom and what he would think about them being together. I told him he knew about it before we did which was perfectly true since he gave me the incentive to make a move and then she laughed at his remark about having to get some new friends.

We reached a shopping mall that was still open and decided we could hang out there until it closed. There were still quite a few people inside which was weird, there was some sort of show in one the shops. We sat on the edge of a fountain under the starry sky and kept on talking, surrounded by light and people.

We had just started to kiss again when a few teenagers dressed in wild black clothes that were standing outside a shadowy corridor started whistling and catcalling in our direction.

"Hey pretty! Ditch the loser and come give me a kiss!" he called to cheers and laughter from his friends. I stood up with a defiant stare and started to walk toward them but Maddy pulled me back saying, "it's not worth it, let's just go." I let her steer me towards the entrance feeling that that those idiots deserved to be beaten to a pulp. We were already leaving the building and were blocked from sight when another shout reached my ears.

"Yeah you keep walking, you're lucky she looked like a little bitch or we would follow you!"

I closed the entrance door between as since she was went through it and told her to stay there with such anger that she didn't move. I walked back until I could see them again and then jumped right behind them.

"You would follow me?" I growled and they all turned around in surprise. I jumped behind them again and grabbed the guy that had shouted by the shoulder, spun him around and hit him in the face with such force that my own fist burst in pain as he fell to the floor, his nose bleeding freely.

"Holy shit!" One of them cried and they all ran past me out of the corridor I followed them with my eyes and that was when I noticed a man in a long black coat staring at me with narrowed eyes. I back down the corridor so that I could jump outside to where Maddy was but before I did I saw the man standing in the entrance to the corridor with a long bar-like weapon in his hand, he aimed at me with it and something exploded out of the end. I ducked wildly falling on my back and saw two thin wires fly past me and hit the wall behind me. _PALADINS! _I saw the man taking aim again but before the thing fired once more I was falling from a two feet height strait into the pool with a mighty splash. I swam back to the surface and then to the edge spluttering and breathing heavily. _Maddy_. I closed my eyes and jumped to the street a block from the shopping mall jumping a lot of water with me that splattered to the ground with a crash. I ran the remaining distance to the mall anf found Maddy still waiting outside the door. She gave a small cry of fear when I grabbed her shoulder and turned her around.

"Johnny…" she gasped looking at my sodden clothes with wide eyes, "what… how?"

"Doesn't matter," I breathed, tired from the run, "let's go."

I walked briskly away from the place, pulling a confused Maddy by the arm and we didn't stop until we were standing in front of her house. She stopped me there and faced me under the porch lights.

"What happened?" she demanded seriously. I thought up a story as quickly as I could.

"I… I fell into the fountain with that guy… but then the rest got to me and I run," I said trying to look convincing.

"How did you get out of the mall, you didn't leave through the door, I was standing there all the time!"

"There were other doors Maddy!" I whispered irritated. Then I changed my expression and looked her in the eyes. " I couldn't let them get away with what they said."

Her expression changed at these words too, into a tender one.

"I love the way you care about me, but its not worth it if you get beaten up for it" she whispered holding my hands, "next time we walk away… I don't care what they say they don't really mean it." I smiled and kissed her lips gently.

"I'll see you tomorrow"

I waited till she had closed the door behind her and then I walked away down the street. The brief calm I had mastered so as not to worry her evaporated instantly and fear close around me like cold metallic hands. A Paladin had just attacked me, and damn it had been a close shave! What was one of them doing so close to home? I had to tell dad first thing in the morning tomorrow, even if it meant admitting that I had jumped in front of people - and had sneaked out of the house without telling them – when they had told me not to. _A Paladin attacked me…_

I closed my eyes and jumped back to my bedroom.


End file.
